SYRACUSE — Despite a loss to NorthWood in the regular season, Wawasee’s varsity girls golf team earned a share of the Northern Lakes Conference championship, splitting it with the Lady Panthers. After losing to NorthWood in a dual meet in Middlebury Tuesday, Wawasee earned seven conference points for its 6-1 NLC regular season record, while NorthWood got eight by finishing 7-0. However, by nipping NorthWood 353-354 to win Saturday's NLC Championships at South Shore Golf Club in Syracuse, the Wawasee Lady Warriors were awarded another eight conference points, which left them splitting the overall crown with NorthWood, which is the Lady Panthers' third straight title. "We're just thrilled," Wawasee head coach Steve Coverstone said. "We're proud to be co-champions with NorthWood." As scores were coming in Saturday, Coverstone was under the assumption his team would finish second to NorthWood, but the scores he was reading weren't completely accurate. Instead, it turned out it was his girls that were winning by a stroke, seemingly taking him by surprise. "The girls just stuck with it," he said. "We didn't have a very good front nine. The girls stuck with it, kept playing and erased the deficit. I don't know. NorthWood and us are pretty even teams. I hate to say we were fortunate, but (NorthWood's No. 1 golfer) Linnzie (Richner) probably didn't have as good of a back nine as she usually would have had, and that let us kind of get back into it. But, we're thrilled to death - especially when you thought you lost." After making the turn, NorthWood led Wawasee 172-180, thanks in large part to Richner's one-over 37. "If you're within 10-12 shots, you always have a shot," Coverstone said. "We didn't play very well on the front, so I thought we had a chance." After dominating the front nine, Richner had tough luck on the back nine, showcased by her tee shot on No. 13 hitting a rock in a ditch, that resulted in the ball turning a 90-degree angle and going out of play. Richner also hit a tree on No. 15, and at the end of the back nine, she'd shot a 47, leaving her with an 84 overall. On top of Wawasee taking advantage of Richner's misfortunes, Warsaw senior Alexis Manwaring did as well, winning the individual NLC title with an 81. "She had a great front nine, so I knew going into the back that I needed to focus and get it together," Manwaring said. "Through the back, Linnzie began to struggle a little bit. But with (Wawasee junior) Mikala (Mawhorter), going into the last two holes, I was ahead, so I thought, 'OK, I need to play smart and not take any chances.' On the last hole, I kind of knew what everyone was going to shoot, so I didn't want to worry about it, but I was worrying about it." Wawasee teammates Mawhorter and senior Elizabeth Jackson each shot an 82, tying to second place overall. "Mikala played really well and Elizabeth played really well, shooting a 39 on the back nine," Coverstone said. "(Jackson) shot a 43-39 and Mikala was really steady with a 41-41. I'm really proud of those two girls." Also for Wawasee, sophomore Aubrey Schmeltz had a 93 and junior Kylee Rostochak shook off a 51 on the front nine to shoot a 45 on the back, finishing with a 96. Kamryn Foy's 105 was the team's fifth-player score. On top Manwaring's NLC-winning score, Warsaw got a 97 from sophomore Page Desenberg, a 98 from sophomore Madi Graham and a 99 out of senior Kristen Watson, resulting in a team score of 375, good for third place, as Ash Jain's 116 was the fifth-player score. "We knew that if we came in and have some girls shoot in the low 90s and get Alexis right at 80, then maybe (NorthWood) could have an off day and we could get that spot," Warsaw head coach Ray Davis said. "With being the top three, I knew we'd have to play very well to overcome Wawasee and NorthWood." As it was, Manwaring was the only Lady Tiger to shine at the conference meet, although it took her a little while to get going. "She struggled a little bit on the first five or six holes with her putting," Davis said. "I got a chance to talk to her about squaring her shoulders up, and from that point on, she just started playing really well. Her chipping saved her a lot today, but from hole six on, then her putts just started to drop for her." Manwaring acknowledged her early problems with the greens, but stuck with her game plan. "I really pushed myself to focus on each shot," she said. "It is hard, because you have 80-some shots, so you have to make sure every one counts. You have to place the ball in a position, where you can score well from there. You have to place yourself in a smart position, which can be a tough thing. Sometimes you just want to go for some shots, but I played it safe today." Warsaw will close out its regular season Tuesday against Whitko at North Manchester's Sycamore Golf Club, while Wawasee is off until Saturday's sectional at Warsaw's Stonehenge Golf Club. "We're going to try to get ready for sectional now," Coverstone said.
